Oregon to designate new wine region

Quiet time at the Maragas Winery

CULVER, OR -- The state is on the verge of getting another official wine region.

The Oregon Wine Board will recognize Central Oregon as such, according to the founder of Maragas Winery, the first to make wine solely from grapes grown on the climate-challenged High Desert.

Doug Maragas on Thursday told KTVZ.com that he had received confirmation of the news from Charles Humble, marketing and communications director for the Oregon Wine Board.

"It was an incredible Christmas present," Maragas said.

For a decade, Maragas had been working on getting recognition for winemaking and grape-growing in the Central Oregon area.

Soon, when people contact the Oregon Wine Board, the official state representative of the Oregon wine industry, rather than have Maragas Winery listed under the "other" category, it will be listed in its own category. The region will range from Warm Springs to Bend.

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A Facebook thread on a wine review

I found this fascinating Facebook thread, prompted by a review in the Las Vegas Review-Journal of a $7.99-a-bottle Antinori Santa Cristina Sangiovese-Merlot blend, a hoot. Only the writers' surnames have been deleted.

THE REVIEW

In the glass: Santa Cristina wine is a deep garnet-red color with a fairly dense core going out into a lightly tinged rim definition with high viscosity.

On the nose: There are indicators that the famous terroir from which this wine's fruit is sourced shines through with powerful forward stewed red fruit dominated by ripe Morello cherries and cooked sloe fruit, with underlying notes of leather, plums, earthy minerals, herbs and dried red flowers.

On the palate: It is a nicely ripe and mature mouthful of wine right off the bat with red cherries, rhubarb compote, pomegranate juice and slightly rustic undertones, but all well-balanced. The midpalate and the supple finish confirm this with soft tannins and a pleasant lingering finish. It is medium-bodied in style and highly drinkable.

THE FACEBOOK THREAD

Mike: (His "headline") This wine costs eight bucks a bottle. How can it be this complex? What do red flowers taste like?

Mike: On the palate: It is a nicely ripe and mature mouthful of wine right off the bat with red cherries, rhubarb compote, pomegranate juice and slightly rustic undertones, but all well-balanced.

Linda: It's good stuff. My husband and I have been drinking it for years.

Mike: To be honest, I will be drinking a bottle of it in an hour. I like it a lot. But Christ..."slightly rustic undertones."

Mike: I take back the "red flowers" bit. The "red flowers" are on the nose, not on the palate.

Steve: A cheeky little wine but I perceive that you're amused by its presumption.

Mike:  There you go...

Linda: It's a good wine, and very reliable from one bottle to the next, unlike most Chardonnays, which I find can vary a lot in quality.

Mike:  Agree, Linda. And I get grossed out by bad reds...anything white is drinkable if cold enough (except Foxhorn). It's a great red for the money. But where do wine reviewers come up with this bullshit? Who has the taste of "rhubarb compote" so imprinted on their tastebuds that their palate can smoke it out in a glass of wine?

Linda: Oh, the reviews are BS, totally. And there have been studies where people doing wine tastings will claim, if they're given the prices of the various wines, that the more expensive ones taste better even if it's a cheap wine in an expensive bottle. So I always just go with what I like.

Mike: Yup. Oh, BTW, one of my friends is a beverage reviewer. He will no doubt show up here and set me straight bigtime.

Mike: Linda, I must say I agree with the viscosity angle. That's pretty obvious even to this hillbilly

Linda: Few things worse than a watery red, IMO. Another good one if you're looking for recommendations is Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. That's been our go-to red for a couple of years now, again, very reliable from one bottle to the next.

Mike: great...thanks...and a decent Zin for you: Cellar 8

Linda:  Hm. I generally avoid zins because they're too fruity, but this sounds like one I'd like: "At first, the nose didn’t strike me as distinctly zinfandel. It was was mostly smoky and subtle. Given a chance to open up the zin characteristics ...

Mike: yes...not an overpowering zin. The pepper is nice...and you can't beat the farty nose

Bill (the aforementioned "beverage reviewer"): If I'm not mistaken, Farty Nose is a registered trademark.

Charlie: Can't go wrong with a pint of Guinness or a selection from Brown's in Troy.

Mike (a different one): Mike.. chill...when purchasing wine,those of us with a discriminating palate have learned to choose a box whose corners have been glued,not stapled

Christopher: Delicious is my favorite comment. Tastes good works also. Try the Sterling Meritage. Yummy. (Yummy is a good word!)

Lynn: Red flowers taste like.. Perfume.

Dan: I know what red flowers don't taste like...blue flowers.

John: best wine description I've read--noted that the wine tasted of road tar--and that was a good thing.

Mary Ellen: I like white merlot. It tastes like the stuff my Italian grandfather made in the cellar. That's a good thing.

Tim: Whatever happened to my early teenage years: "What's the word?" "Thunderbird!" "What's the price?" "Forty twice." Then my palate developing in early adulthood to the half-gallon bottle of Gallo Burgundy. Not too complex or balanced. But, Lord, what a drunk and a hangover I can still feel all these years later.

Mike (the original one): haha..had that. big thing when i was a kid: Ripple and Boones Farm. You could make ice cream floats with ripple, but they weren't very good

Tim: Oh, yes, Ripple too. Thunderbird was our white wine, Ripple our red. I'm too old for Boones Farm. I'd moved on to Lancers or Mateus.

Mike: the wine jingle i remember clearly from TV, Tim, was for something called Kings wine...had a king of diamonds on the front..."Get Kings wine...you'll be feeling real fine...." Forget all your cares and get...Kings wine." Yeah, i bet.

Dan: Well, I've forgotten all about Kings wine...it must have worked. My favorite out here was Spañada...it only came in gallon jugs.

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Study: Draw one, mix one for health

We've been trying to keep up with the regular stream of studies suggesting wine has all sorts of magical, mystical medicinal properties that will lead to better health, longer life, etc. Now, brews and spirits are getting some extra support.

A two-decade study published in the January issue of The Journal of Studies On Alcohol and Drugs reports on connections between the moderate consumption of all types of alcohol and increased longevity.

It also supports the findings of prior studies that wine has more beneficial effects than any other alcoholic drinks. However, in a twist that always seems to pop up in any study, researchers said that may because the people who choose wine tend to be more naturally healthy anyway. Go figure.

The study of 802 men and women ages 55 to 65. Of that number, 281 "low wine drinkers" consumed less than one-third of their alcohol intake from wine, 176 "high wine drinkers" consumed two-thirds or more as wine, and 345 abstainers. The drinkers had one to two drinks per day, and researchers followed them for 20 years.

Among the findings: Wine drinkers lived longer than abstainers, and high-wine drinkers lived longer than low-wine drinkers.

Charles Holahan, a psychologist at the University of Texas and lead author of the article, said there may be benefits for older moderate drinkers no matter what kind of alcohol they consume. But, he cautioned, "The study does not encourage initiating wine consumption as a pathway to better health."

Ya gotta love those disclaimers.

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NJ direct-ship wine battle heats up

• From the Asbury Park Press

A trio of towheads scoot around the gnarly vineyards and country-chic tasting room of Wagonhouse Winery, giving chase to their parents, Dan and Heather Brown, as they tend to grapes on their 11 acres and customers stopping by for a bottle of pinot gris.

When Dower, Dawson and Dallas, ages 3 to 7, dash into the large structure designed for shipping and distribution, the Browns fret less: It’s more of a playroom for the boys than the busy commercial operation imagined when built earlier this year in South Harrison, Gloucester County.

Unless a much-debated, much-delayed bill allowing direct shipping of wines in and out of New Jersey is passed by the Legislature in January and signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie, the distribution center will remain an oversize playroom for the Brown boys.

The battle between boosters of direct shipping, who believe it will help fuel economic growth, and the retail alcoholic beverage industry which believes it will cut its profits, has been termed a “David vs. Goliath” fight that once again will go to the mats in the Statehouse.

[Go here for the full story.]

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Direct-ship wine possible in Massachusetts

Gov. Deval Patrick

• From the Boston Herald

BOSTON -- Christmas may have arrived early for Bay State oenophiles.

Gov. Deval Patrick on Thursday may have inadvertently revived an issue that has flummoxed Bay State policymakers for years, lending support to a bill that would permit Massachusetts consumers to order direct wine shipments from out of state.

“I would sign that bill if it came,” he said during an appearance on WTKK in response to a question from a caller who identified himself as "Dan from Franklin" and said he was frustrated by restrictions on commerce.

Although in 2006 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws that bar consumers from ordering wine shipments, Massachusetts is one of 12 states that have yet to comply. In fact, a Bay State effort to amend its laws in response to the decision was itself struck down in January 2010, the result of restrictions that lawmakers built into the law to protect local wineries from competition.

[Go here for the full story.]

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California grape harvest drops again

In a California vineyard.

The California grape harvest this year was 3.3 million tons, 9% below the 2010 crop, according to a report just released by the California Department of Food & Agriculture.

That decline is attributed to a second year of a wet spring and unseasonably cool temperatures. And the 2010 harvest wasn't any great shakes compared to the 3.7 million ton harvest of 2009.

This year, many grapes were picked at lower sugar levels, so the alcohol content for wines is likely to be on the moderate side. Higher acids are predicted.

"Surprisingly enough, the quality came out pretty good," Victor Alvarez, owner of Miraflores Winery in El Dorado County, told the Sacramento Bee.

"We lost 40% to 50% of the whites, but fortunately the end of the season was very mild and there was only one rain, which didn't affect things. Everything was well matured and balanced, but the acidity is a little high. The cabernet and zinfandel is looking excellent."

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Dom Pérignon 2003 debuts via satellite

The French champagne Moët & Chandon on Thursday released its Dom Pérignon’s 2003 vintage in a ceremony linking events in New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Via satellite, chef de cave Richard Geoffroy unveiled the wine in a hologram.

"It was a risk, which may be rewarded now," he said of the 2003 vintage "It's at the heart of the house's values -- we're committed to vintage Champagne. My wish is for Dom Pérignon 2003 to remain one of the greatest examples of the vintage in the history of Champagne."

Dom Pérignon 2003 will be available at abut $190.

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New wine books top the holiday gift list

I've been trying to climb out from under a deluge of wine-centric books released in time for the holiday gift-giving frenzy.

It's an annual effort, and takes a little time away from shilling my own non-wine book now on sale. (Glad you asked. It's "Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y in Jiggers and Shots.")

Nevertheless, I've made the sacrifice to cull a trio of good books to top the list. Herewith, my capsulized views of each.

UNQUENCHABLE: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines. By Natalie MacLean. Perigee. Hardcover. $24.

First, the title. I have a strong antipathy to labeling any work about wines or spirits "tipsy" or any other euphemism for inebriation. In my view, it cheapens the effort. That said, Natalie MacLean is an excellent guide for the newbie or the experienced wine buyer.

In "Unquenchable," she mixes humor with advice, taking us on a global quest for the best. Her wordsmithing is impeccable, as seen in these examples selected from among many: "The next day, approaching Featherstone Winery, I can see a pepper storm of starlings flying over the vineyard." And, "Even though Sicilian winemaking has improved considerably over the past decade, marsala's former image still sticks to it. Poorly made wines are like a crime-ridden neighborhood, tarnising the reputation of an entire city."

Whether it be during stops in France, Italy, the Finger Lakes or anywhere else, MacLean sweeps the reader along with her on her sometimes-bumpy, always-entertaining jaunt, helping explain the why's and why not's of winemaking, marketing and drinking. She's an excellent travel companion.

THE FOOD LOVER'S GUIDE TO WINE. By Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Little, Brown & Co. Hardcover. $35.

Sommelier interviews, encyclopedic listings of grapes and their many twisted vines of heritage, a history of key periods in wine, trivia and tried-and-true wines ... all this and a lot more goes into this latest effort by the writing team of Page and Dornenburg.

This is not the sort of book you'll curl up with in front of the fireplace, a nice Cab in hand. It is, however, a very useful book, something not always a property of a Christmas gift .

If you want to look at tried-and-true food and wine pairings, or check out a bit of wine trivia, then pop the book back on the shelf until the next time you absolutely have to find something in a hurry, this is THE book to have.

THE BIG RED WINE BOOK 2010/11. BY Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh. Hardie Grant Books. $25.

Wine has become so ubiquitous on American dinner tables and in restaurants seeking to find the next-best-thing before their competition does that the average consumer can be excused for retreating into a cloud of confusion.

So, this guide to 1,000 red wines should help clear the air while someone else probably is working on a white wine companion tome. It is the third edition of "The Big Red ... " by a pair of Australian writers who like to refer to themselves as regular blokes who like wine.

Their work concentrates on red wines because, the authors reason, they are the most popular and probably the most confusing. Also, Australia puts out a bazilllion of them, and the U.S. markets laps up many.

The book supplies tasting notes on 1,000 or so wines in all price ranges, and talks about value for money, variety of styles and notes on past vintages.

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